Isaiah's  Parable  of  the 
Vineyard 


BY   PAUL   HAUPT 

Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore.  Mel. 


Reprinted  from 

THE  AflERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  SEHITIC 
LANGUAGES  AND  LITERATURES 


(Continuing  "  HEBRAICA"! 


\'oi .r.MK   XI  X.  No.  4 


Jn.v,  1903 


THE  AMERICAN  JOURNAL 

OF 

SEMITIC  LANGUAGES  AND  LITERATURES 

(CONTINUING  "HEBRAICA") 


VOLUME  XIX  JULY,  1903  NUMBER  4 


ISAIAH'S  PARABLE  OF  THE  VINEYARD. 
BY  PAUL  HAUPT, 

Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Cheyne  says  in  his  notes  on  Is.  5,  in  The  Polychrome  Bible, 
that  '  the  Parable  of  the  Vineyard  takes  the  form  of  a  song.  The 
prophet  assumes  the  character  of  a  popular  singer.  If  he  accom- 
panied his  song  with  music,  he  must  have  changed  his  note  at 
v.  3,  and  what  an  effect  must  have  been  produced  when  in  the 
middle  of  a  sentence  (v.  6)  he  suddenly  passed  out  of  the  lyric 
into  the  grave  prophetic  rhythm,  and  became  no  longer  a  singer 
but  an  orator.'  These  remarks  are  evidently  based  on  Duhm's 
commentary.*  Duhm's  analysis  of  the  poem  has  been  adopted 
also  by  Marti. f  Duhm  thinks  that  there  is  a  different  rhythm 
from  rPlZJl  T331D  nblPl  on ;  but  this  clause  is  a  gloss,  and  the  fol- 
lowing lines  exhibit  the  same  rhythm  as  the  preceding  stanzas. 
In  his  Introduction^  Cheyne  says  that  vv.  1-7  are  in  two  distinct 
rhythms  or  meters ;  the  division  is  at  v.  6C,  when  Isaiah,  in  the 
midst  of  his  threatening  prophecy  respecting  the  vineyard, 
suddenly  exchanges  the  light,  dancing,  popular  rhythm  for  a 
heavy  prophetic  parallelism. 

Ewaldjj  arranged  only  the  first  two  verses  in  lines,  evidently 
thinking  that  the  rhythm  in  the  following  verses  was  different. 

*  First  edition,  Gottingen,  1892 ;  second  edition,  1902. 
fl>as  Buch  Jesaia  (Freiburg  i.  B.  1900),  p.  55. 
t  Introduction  to  the  Book  of  Isaiah  (London,  1895),  p.  23. 
||  Jetaiai  (Gottingen,  1867),  p.  306. 

193 

2111307 


194  HEBEAICA 

In  Hitzig's  translation  of  the  poetical  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, on  the  other  hand,  the  whole  poem  is  printed  in  lines.*  In 
Kautzsch's  Textbibel  (1899)  the  second  half  of  v.  5  and  vv.  6.  7 
are  printed  in  lines,  but  not  the  preceding  verses.  Cersoy,-}-  on 
the  other  hand,  thinks  that  the  first  two  verses  were  borrowed  by 
Isaiah  from  a  popular  song,  but  that  the  following  verses  are  not 
metrical.  If  we  look  at  Sievers'J  arrangement  of  the  poem  we 
can  easily  see  how  a  commentator  may  arrive  at  the  conclusion 
that  vv.  3-7  are  not  metrical ;  for  there  is  apparently  no  regu- 
larity whatsoever.  But  if  the  song  is  freed  from  superfluous 
scribal  expansions  the  meter  is  the  same  from  the  first  verse  to 
the  last. 

There  is  no  change  of  rhythm  in  the  poem.  This  parable 
consists  of  four |!  stanzas;  each  stanza  is  composed  of  four 
Q'vTD33§  with  two  beats  in  each  hemistich.  Each  of  the  first 
three  stanzas  comprises  two  Masoretic  verses,  while  the  last 
stanza  is  represented  by  v.  7.  The  text  of  the  first  three  stanzas 
is  on  the  whole  correct  but  considerably  expanded ;  in  the  last 
stanza,  on  the  other  hand,  we  find  an  omission  and  a  corruption. 
The  scribal  expansions  are  all  such  as  we  frequently  meet  with 
in  other  texts  of  the  Old  Testament. 

I  would  arrange  the  Hebrew  text  as  follows  :  ** 

*  Die  poetischen  Biicher  des  AT  (Leipzig,  1854);  so,  too,  in  Hendewerk's  Jesaja,  part  1 
(Konigsberg,  1838),  p.  129,  and  in  Umbreit's  commentary  (Hamburg,  1846). 

t L' 'apologue  de  la  Vigne  au  chapitre  V«  d'lsale  in  the  Revue  Biblique  (Jan.  1899),  pp. 
3-12  (cited  in  Marti's  commentary,  p.  55) .  Cf.  ZA  9,  361. 

%Metrische  Studien  (Leipzig,  1901),  p.  434. 

II  Ernst  Meier  in  his  commentary  (Pforzheim,  1850)  divided  the  poem  into  two  stanzas : 
w.  1-4  and  5-7. 

§See  my  paper  on  The  Poetic  Form  of  the  First  Psalm  in  HEBEAICA,  19, 137,  n.  15.  The 
four  double-hemistichs  of  each  stanza  may  be  grouped  in  two  couplets. 

**The  arrangement  of  Hebrew  poetic  texts  in  double-hemistichs,  in  two  columns, 
which  I  introduced  in  part  15  (Proverbs)  and  4  (Numbers,  cc.  21.  23.  24)  of  The  Poly- 
chrome Bible,  is  found  in  certain  Hebrew  MSS,  e.  g.,  in  the  Sephardic  MS,  British  Museum, 
Oriental  2201.  In  this  beautiful  quarto  MS,  which  is  one  of  the  oldest  dated  copies  of  the 
entire  Hebrew  Bible,  having  been  written  at  Toledo  in  1246  A.  D.,  the  three  poetical  books, 
Psalms,  Proverbs,  and  Job,  are  written  in  double-hemistichs,  in  two  columns.  A  collotyped 
facsimile  reproduction  of  folio  283»  (containing  Ps.  106,  23b-107,  32)  of  this  MS  is  given  on 
plate  ix  of  the  Series  of  XV  Facsimiles  of  MSS  of  the  Hebrew  Bible  published  by  James 
Hyatt  (London,  1897).  Ginsburg  says  in  his  description  of  this  plate,  '  The  three  poetical 
books  are  arranged  in  prescribed  lines,'  whatever  that  may  mean;  see  also  Ginsburg's 
Introduction  to  the  Masoretico-Critical  Edition  of  the  Hebrew  Bible  (London,  1897),  p.  675; 
cf.  also  ibid.,  pp.  517.  729.  Ginsburg's  remarks  are  unfortunately  not  sufficiently  clear  (cf. 
op.  cit.,  pp.  591.  598.  606.  667).  Cf.  also  the  Cod.  Or.  Gaster.  151  described  in  PSBA  22,  234. 


ISAIAH'S  PABABLE  OP  THE  VINEYARD  195 


irrwb  iron 


TITID     "TTb  KS-rr 


"pip 
'TD  VKWI    inbpo^i  njyrr'i  2 


iTprr 


jrye  -pfii        *r: 


ntD2  &bi      ^Tiy  tiiis2b"Tft3  4 

I  I 


1  5          III 


»bv     nra  inn^^i  6 


m  *m.r  triD-^  7       iv 

i          i  i 

VsnWlD  5t33  miiT1 

i           i  i 


(*)      11212  («)       by  <*)      n^nJn  nittw  nbn 


2  (y)  HTI  («  ^Tn  l  («) 

a^o^n  115771 
(«>     nnn  5  (*>     nnwy  w 


196  HEBKAICA 


CRITICAL  NOTES  ON  THE  TEXT. 

(1)    ffl.  85  (cf.  Gesen.27,  §  105,  b,  n.  3)  in  83TPHBK  is  enclitic  ;  the  pre- 
ceding nTlBfcfc  should  be  accented  on  the  ultima,  not  on  the  penult  ; 

so,  too,  man  (v.  2),  is-Trio?  (v.  4),  »3-nrTi»  (v.  5). 

,  I"  f  IT 

JH  *FT3  does  not  mean  to  my  friend  (A  V,  to  my  well  beloved  ; 
RV,  for  my  well  beloved)  or  in  honorem  Dei  quern  maxime  diligo 
cantabo  (Grotius).  Nor  can  the  prefixed  b  be  taken  as  the  b 
auctoris  (cf.  Bachmann's  explanation  cited  below),  although  in 
v.  3  the  friend  to  whom  the  vineyard  belongs  is  introduced  as  the 
speaker.  The  preposition  b  means  here  of  (so  RVM),  that  is,  con- 
cerning, as  in  Ps.  3,  3  :  "'ITSib  D^T-iS  DhH"l  Many  there  are  who 
say  of  me  and  in  Gen.  20,13:  fcOfi  T!8  *b"^EK  Say  of  me,  He 
is  my  brother.  This  b  is  not  a  popular  shortening  of  bfcS  >  as  Duhm 
supposes;  in  his  commentary  on  Ps.  3,3  Duhm  says,  "'TESjb  is  a 
poetic  equivalent  of  "|1ffl5)3~b3?  .  Nor  can  we  read,  with  Bachmann,* 
"HT^btf  (haplography).  Cf.  Gesen.27,  §  119,  u. 
iER  •'TH  may  be  a  misplaced  variant  to  TTb  in  the  first  hemistich. 
&  has  -»n*n**  for  both  TT  and  *H*n.  M  TH  is  certainly 
not  an  abbreviation  for  QhTn  (Lowth,  Cheyne,  Budde,f  Marti,  as 
an  alternative);  this  parable  is  no  love-ditty  (contrast  Grit.  Notes 
on  Isaiah,  SBOT,  p.  117,  1.  37,  and  Ginsburg's  Introduction,  pp. 
793.  820).  Cersoy  points,  "'Til  flTlS  my  love-song,  and  Marti  is 
inclined  to  adopt  this  emendation  as  the  simplest  solution  of  the 
difficulty.  Bachmann  proposes  to  read  Tfl'tVPlE  =  Tub  {1T1E  . 
According  to  Winckler,  AoF  (=  Altorientalische  Forschungen), 
1,341  (1896),  the  opening  lines  of  the  poem  should  be  taken  to 
mean:  I  will  sing  to  my  god  a  song  of  my  god,  concerning  his 
vineyard.  My  god  had  a  vineyard,  &c.  He  believes  that  TH  or 
Til  means  8aLp.<av  (Dido—  17  Scu]u.a>y)  and  is  inclined  to  substitute 
•H-Hb  or  'HIT!  for  fSL  •'TTb  in  the  first  and  third  hemistichs  of 
the  opening  couplet. 

After  the  insertion  of  •'Til  between  T,2"0~rP"'TE  it  was  necessary 
to  prefix  b  to  1}J"0  (®v  rta  a/A7reAuw  pov  —  "^"l^b  is  inlluenced 
by  glosses  ^  and  *). 

Omit  fE  HTl  after  Q"0  ;  the  vineyard  still  belongs  to  the  friend  ; 
he  tells  the  men  of  Judah  in  v.  5  what  he  purposes  to  do  with  it. 
The  addition  of  {TT»~i  w&s  probably  suggested  by  fVC*b  TTTl  D"O 
inl  K  21,1;  cf.  my  notes  on  Cant.  8,11  (The  Book  of  Canticles, 

p.  60  =  HEBBAICA,  19,  6). 

There  is  hardly  any  paronomasia  between  Q"0  and  "pp  as  Duhm 
supposes  ;  p  and  5  are  entirely  different  consonants.  Nor  is  this 
case  recorded  in  Dr.  Casanowicz's  dissertation  on  Paronomasia  in 
the  OT  (Boston,  1894).  There  is  just  as  much  assonance  between 


*  Altteslamentliche  Unlersuchungen  (Berlin,  1894),  p.  64. 
t-ZVew  World,  March  1893,  p.  49. 


ISAIAH'S  PARABLE  OF  THE  VINEYARD  197 

and    "32123 ,    viz.   only  one  consonant    and    the  vowels    are 
identical. 

Bachmann's  emendation  fa'2J~lp  HIpS  and  Cheyne's  "nys  n3  2Hp3 
are  not  good.  Nor  need  we  read,  with  Kennedy,  HC12W  instead  of  fH 
TQT2  ;  see,  however,  my  remarks  on  •pSPrbyZ*  or  rather  •jTSFrbsa* 
in  Cant.  8,11  (The  Book  of  Canticles,  p.  33,  n.  3).  In  his  Critica 
Biblica  (London,  1903),  p.  10,  Cheyne  proposes  to  read  ""3Q  n"lD2 
biC^C'iE11  •  The  reference,  Cheyne  adds,  is  not  to  the  Cimmerians  but 
to  the  North  Arabians.  I  prefer  the  received  text.  &  1*4?  PI-O-S 
|l«Vi*  ;  cf.  <&  €v  Kepari,  iv  rmrta  TTLOVI.  ftt  "52123  ""p  is  more  poetic 
than  the  adjective  T2TD,  but  it  is  not  chosen  on  account  of  the 
meter ;  TJ2123  "pDH  would  have  suited  the  meter  just  as  well.  Con- 
trast my  note  on  Cant.  1,6  in  The  Book  of  Canticles  (Chicago,  1902), 
p.  31,  n.  13  =  HEBBAICA,  18,  221. 

(2)  For  fSL  pnic  cf.  Jer.  2,21 ;  Gen.  49,11  and  Abulwalld's  explanation 
quoted  in  Gesenius'  Jesaia,  part  1  (Leipzig,  1821),  p.  231  (repeated 
in  his  Thesaurus):     ^j«Xj«    (Jjjw«J!    *J    jLib*    ^^X.1'    i>*^>t    «J& 
(•LiJU .     CrT  (i.  e.,  Fragmenta  rescripta  Tischendorfiana  Isaiae 

prophetae)  has  a/tireXov  truprjn,  3  electam,  &  }_oxaA,  vines.    A  good 

German  equivalent  would  be  rother  Gutedel. 

Winckler,  AoF  1,  350,  proposes  to  read  f\j,  instead  of  bl>C;  but 

cf.  Mark  12,1. 

fS  ISIinn  is  a  superfluous  scribal  expansion. 

The  third  b^E  of  v.  3,  f«  D'^ip  ton      D'a^mWb  Ip^l ,  is 

a  scribal  expansion  derived  from  the  second  b'lfl'E  of  v.  4.    Both 

there  and  in  the  present  gloss  fSL  niiC7  represents  a  subsequent 

addition ;  cf.  ESTEb  Ij^l  (v.  7e)  and  59,9. 11.    3  inserts  ut  faceret 

not  only  in  w.  2.  4  but  also  in  v.  7:  et  expectavi  ut  faceret  judicium. 

The  expression  Q"2r?  SnllSyb  np^1j  without  an  indication  of  the 

different  subject  of  ni'^J,  is  illogical;  flS  D"1!!?   nYwb  1p"*l  is 

generally  supposed  to  mean,  He  (my  friend)  expected  that  it  (the 

**  ..  —  _      *  f  y 

vineyard)  would  bear  grapes  (S  |  m\   ,  nM?   ^aa?o) ;  but  this  would 
require  at  least  the  insertion  of  ib  >  D^3-?  Hliuyb  ib  Ip^l  • 
For  D^IC-JO  ir7"1  see  my  remarks  in  HEBBAICA,  19,  138,  n.  20. 
For  Q^fcO  (3  labruscae,  French  lambntsque)  cf.  Gesenius'  Jesaia, 
part  1,  p';  233;   part  2,  p.  364,  and  ZDPV  1888,  p.  160  (cited  by 
Marti). 

(3)  ffl  nrui  at  the  beginning  of  stanzas  II  and  III  (vv.  3.  5)  is  due  to 
scribal  expansion. 

J5  transposes  fSL  DblDlT  UlTV  and  nilH"  1T"^  5  cf-  niy  remarks 
on  the  Syriac  version  of  Ps.  1  in  HEBBAICA,  19,  137,  n.  16  and  below, 
n.  5  of  the  Explanatory  Notes  on  p.  201. 


198  HEBRAICA 


(4)  M  "^""Ob   is  a  superfluous  addition  both  here  and  at  the  end  of 
the  first  btZ352  of  stanza  III  (v.  5). 

$&  ?1T2  is  a  scribal  expansion.  Logically  it  does  not  belong  to 
the  first  hemistich,  but  to  the  second  :  Why,  when  I  had  a  right  to 
expect  good  grapes,  did  it  bear  worthless,  small,  sour  berries  ?  so 
correctly  ARV  and  Hendewerk  (see  above,  p.  194,  n.  *),  p.  133  ;  con- 
trast Ernst  Meier  (see  above  p.  194,  n.  ||  ),  p.  49. 
For  the  insertion  of  tll'tiD?  in  $&  D"^-?  niTZjyb  instead  of  Q'Ojyb 
see  the  note  on  gloss  8  (v.  2). 

(5)  Omit  fSl  niVl  as  at  the  beginning  of  v.  3. 

The  rhythm  of  the  second  hemistich  would  perhaps  be  improved 
by  transposing  iW  HiE?  "OX  5    m  this  case  we  should  have  to  read  : 
"OXTITE?  TCXTlX  ,  "OX  being  enclitic  ;  cf.  the  notes  on  v.  1. 
For  m  iroVlDH  read  inSiDE  •    *  has    a^r^e    for  m    irOllOE 
just  as  in  v.  2  for  M  bl3E  • 

fft  C32"l/2b  rrni  1*1"  VIS  is  a  gloss  (or  variant)  to  the  preceding 
b^232  >  it  may  have  been  suggested  by  Hos.  2,  8.  Cf.  my  notes  on 
Cant.  3,  8.  10  ;  4,  14  (see  my  Book  of  Canticles,  p.  23,  n.  14  ;  p.  49, 
n.  49),  also  my  note  on  Ps.  45,16  in  HEBRAICA,  19,  136. 

(6)  For  IE  nrQ  point  HPSl,  from   fifa,  Arab,  oo  to  cut  (*&), 

r   T  T  -  (^ 

vii  to  be  cut  off,  decided,  ended  («.hpM);  Assyr.  buttutu  'to  end' 

(Delitzsch,  HW  192b).    Arab.   mJaS  means  also  to  exterminate,  to 

^> 


annihilate;  cf.  Heb.  rH53  and  tV"On>  especially  Gen.  41,36: 
33>*G  V*lXn  n*l3*l  .  Bachmann  proposes  to  read,  following  ffi 
KOU  dv^crco  TOV  dl/nrcXwva  /AOU,  "713  (cf-  27,10). 

fE  "•pJJp  ^b  is  a  scribal  expansion  of  the  following  Jft  T7y   xbl  ; 
so,  too,  fR  nnlSl  TMTD   r&Pli  c/.  7,23;  9,17;  10,17;  27,4."  With 
the  exception  of  9,  17  all  those  passages  are  post-Isaianic. 
Bachmann  proposes  to  read   S|b?1  instead  of  fK  nb^lj  following 

T  : 

ffiT  Kal  avafirio-ovTai  (var.  ava/?^crcTat),  3  e£  ascendent  vepres  et  spinae, 
£>  Ij^ko  )jcas  aus  ^U»  5  c/.  Assyr.  elu  'to  grow  up'  (Delitzsch, 
HW  61a,  4).  Bachmann  thinks  that  rr'£H  T321C  does  not  stand  in 
the  accusative  (Ges.27,  §  117,  z)  but  is  the  subject  of  pjby  •  The  clause 
rriSl  "I"1"-1!!!  nbyl  should  therefore  be  translated,  not:  It  shall 
shoot  up  in  thorns  and  briars  (so  Cheyne  in  SBOT),  but  :  There  shall 
come  up  briars  and  thorns  (so  ARV).  I  believe,  with  Bachmann, 
that  rnEl  ""^Slfl  is  nominative,  not  accusative  ;  but  if  the  verbal 
predicate  precedes  the  subject,  the  plural  is  not  necessary  ;  cf.  Ges.27, 
§  145,  o.  In  Prov.  24,31  the  meter  requires  not  only  the  omission  of 
the  superfluous  third  hemistich  D^b^H  ITS  *1&3  (see  SBOT  ad  Zoc.) 

\ 

but  also  the  excision  of  "123  »  so  that  D";uJElp  Jlbl?  may  be  explained 
in  the  same  way  as  msl  TEID  tlb>?  i-  &•  Jib?  niay  be  verbal 
predicate  to  D'O'JJ'E  •  Prov.  24,30-34  must  be  read  as  follows  : 


ISAIAH'S  PARABLE  OF  THE  VINEYARD  199 


:nb-icn  D'IS  on;p-b:n    troy  bxrTC*«  rnic-b*  30 
inciro  r»»  TDI        "D-oteB   «nby  ram  31 


a  ^nnpb  TYWI  •aa  rr-£»  ^nrwi  32 

'i        i  i        i       i  « 

DT  psan-tara  maiDn  BSE  maw-tara  33 

r                 I    •  I                      |                    |  ~ 

Tir&c  -pbrrai  wn  -jbnED  «ni  34 

II'  '  IV                   I  |    -                            I 


32  (y)  Dnn  T3B  1DD  31  O)  3  30  («) 

Also  in  Is.  34,  13  we  had  better  read  : 

a  rrim  "wiap    D^-D  srnbws'a'  rfbm 

is  due  to  ntvm  at  the  beginning  of  the  following  line. 
In  Is.  32,13  nbjri  is  Hif'Il  (=rpJ32n);  cf.  my  remarks  in  my 
paper  on  The  Beginning  of  the  Judaic  Account  of  Creation  in  the 
Journal  of  the  American  Oriental  Society,  17,  158  (1896). 
Omission  of  f&  by  improves  the  rhythm. 

fH  "lt3"J   at  the  end  of  this  verse  is  a  superfluous  scribal  expansion. 
(7)    Syntactically  niPP  D"0  is  predicate,  and  bjOUT  FP2  subject. 
iS  r\1&O£  is  scribal  expansion.    It  is  canceled  also  by  Sievers. 
&(•    nST^    seems  to  be  a  corruption  of  t2)"nz532  =  T^IL'D  (in  Is. 
52,14  it  is  better  to  read  nffiSE  instead  of  M  t^rTC^j;  cf.  Heb. 
(15T7)    rvmsn;    Eth.    ftAm:    sehta,  to  err,  to  sin;    ft^tt  : 
sehtat,   error,  sin;  (\d\n\  :    sahata,    to   hurt,   to   injure;   Syr. 

P    0         fc. 

'(_:_-  i-k-  corruption,  destruction  ;  Arab.  \z*£!  suht,  corrupt  prac- 
tice, undue  profit,  unlawful  gain  (o^J!  _•  •••"<^~!)  The  t3 
instead  of  f\  is  due  to  the  influence  of  the  preceding  n  ,  just  as 

C   is  not  unfrequently  changed  into  21  under  the  influence  of  an 

p    «. 
adjacent  H;   c/.  i-»js  =  )1CB  —  Assyr.  pussuxu,  to  appease,  see 

note  60  of  my  paper  on  Babylonian  elements  in  the  Levitic  Ritual 
(Journal  of  Biblical  Literature,  19,  73)  and  KAT3  610,  n.  3.  In  the 
same  way  we  might  combine  Heb.  77,2!2  to  sprout  with  Assyr. 
s  a  m  a  x  u  (Delitzsch,  H  W  669^).  In  Ges.-Buhl",  On  the  other  hand, 
Assyr.  samaxu  is  combined  with  Heb.  JT2TD  to  rejoice  and  Arab. 

^s4-£    to  be  high    (Jtb.    ^Lt)    or  to  be  proud    («AiL?    -^  t  -'•)  ; 

cf.  Lat.  lucus  laetissimus  umbrae,  &c.,  and  1.  8  of  the  fifth  tablet 

of  the  Babylonian  Nimrod*  Epic  (p.  24  of  my  edition):  tabu 
cillasufjmal!  risati;  cf.  Delitzsch,  HW  607b  and  Jensen's 
inaccurate  translation  in  Schrader's  KB  6,  161  (ihr  guter  Schatten 

*  Cf.  my  remarks  in  the  Critical  Notes  on  Proverbs  (SBOT),  p.  33,  1.  17.  It  might  be  well 
to  state  in  this  connection  that  I  never  believed  that  Nimrod  was  identical  with  the  Kassite 
ruler  NazimaraddaS  (see  Cheyne-Black's  Encyclopaedia  Biblica,  3418)  ;  I  only  suggested, 
nineteen  years  ago,  that  the  name  Nimrod  might  be  a  contraction  of  Nazirnaradda  s  ; 
see  my  paper  in  the  Andover  Review,  July,  1884,  p.  94;  cf.  KAT3  581. 


200  HEBRAICA 

ist  voll  '  Jauchzens  ;'  this  would  be  cillasu  tabu  rlsati  mall; 
tabu  is,  of  course,  predicate  to  cillasu);  cf.  my  remarks  on 
Jensen's  translations  in  my  paper  on  The  Beginning  of  the  Baby- 
lonian Nimrod  Epic  in  the  Journal  of  the  American  Oriental 
Society,  vol.  22,  p.  9;  see  also  vol.  16,  p.  ex,  and  Critical  Notes  on 
Proverbs  (SBOT),  p.  60,  1.  39. 
We  might  also  read  1)11253  bribery,  but  tiiTCE  is  preferable  ;  in 

T   :     • 

the  first  place  the  paronomasia  between  tDSlZI/J  and  13)11253  is 
more  striking,  and  then  the  corruption  of  t3)l"X"-  to  JlSlT/G  is 
more  easily  explained  :  the  last  two  consonants  of  t3FllCE3  were 
transposed,  and  t3  was  miswritten  2-  Siegfried-Stade,  s.  v. 
1131232  >  suppose  that  this  word  was  coined  by  the  prophet  for  the 

T    :     • 

sake  of  the  paronomasia  with  t3£TD13  •    Even  if  f&,  HE'lDS  were 

T    :    •  T    :     • 

correct,  it  could  not  mean  bloodshed,  although  Arab.  ,\Juu  means 
shedding  blood,  tyrant  (^A>*>  —  i^j  U  ).  For  fiSTD  we  should 
expect  ^.BMI.  Brown-Driver-Briggs,  p.  705b,  thinks  that  the  is 
in  nSiS33  was  substituted  for  C  •  Gres.-Buhl13  compares 


musaffah,  thwarted,  unsuccessful;  cf.  Assyr.  sapaxu,  to  annihi- 
late, break  up,  destroy  (Delitzsch,  HW  507b).  In  note  80  of  his  dis- 
sertation on  Paronomasia  in  the  OT  (1894)  Dr.  Casanowicz  suggested 
that  nSiD33  might  be  a  transposition  of  uJTUJE  —  Assyr.  saxapu, 
to  overthrow  ;  but  we  expect  a  word  for  injustice,  corruption  (<& 
avofjiLa.,  3  iniquitas).  Cheyne's  FHTE  is  impossible. 

Before  ffl  np"I2£b  in  the  last  line  of  the  poem  the  rhythm  requires 
the  insertion  of  a  verb,  either  *|pnl,  as  in  the  preceding  line,  or 
bri^l  >  or  7IFP1  >  although  this  form  does  not  occur  in  the  OT. 
It  is  not  impossible  that  the  original  text  read  tiHlE/jb  JlSHl  and 
np?:2b  nsni  in  the  second  hemistichs  of  the  last  two  lines  ;  cf. 
Hagg.  1,9:  t»53b  HSHI  H^rrb^  HbB  5  see  note  3  of  my 
lecture  on  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes  in  Oriental  Studies  (Boston, 
1894),  p.  264;  cf.  Ges.2?,  §  143,  e;  $  114,  i,  note  1  ;  Wright-de  GoejeS, 
2,79. 

This  Isaianic  poem  may  be  translated  as  follows  : 

PARABLE  OF  THE  VINEYARD. 

Ill  will  sing  of  my  friend,  now,          a  song  of  «  his  vineyard:1 
My  friend  has0  a  vineyard  on  a  spur  that  is  fertile.2 

2  He  h6ed  it  and  cleared  it,3  and  planted  choice  vines4  (there); 

He  biiilt  (there)  y  a  t6wer5  and  he'wed  out6  a  wine-vat.5 

(a)  1  my  dear  one  of  (j3)  had  (y)  2  in  the  midst  of  it 

(S)  2  he  16oked  for  it  to  bear  (choice)  clusters,  —  it  b6re  sour  berries  ! 


ISAIAH'S  PARABLE  OP  THE  VINEYABD  201 

II    3«Ye  me"n  of  Jerusalem,  freemen  of  Jiidah ! 

Be  judges  of  my  case7  and  that  of  my  vineyard ! 

4  Could  aught  have  been  d6ne  f        that  f  did  not  d6  there  ? 
nl  looked  for*  (choice)  clusters, —    it  b6re  sour  berries  !8 

III  5*1  will  give  you  to  kn6w  what  I  purpose  to  d6:« 

Away  with  its  hedges !  that  cattle  may  br6wse  there  ;A 

6  A  waste  be  it  henceforth,9  M  no  spade  ever  delve  it !  * 

i  The  c!6uds  will  I  summon  to  rain  on  it  neVer.0 

IV  7  It  is  the  vineyard  of  J'nvn,10 »        the  nation  of  Israel, 

The  freemen  of  Jiidah,  His  cherished  plantation. 

He  looked  for  correctness,11      but  16  !  corruptness!12 
He  h6ped  for  c  a  n  d  o  r,13  but  16  !  there  is  clamor!" 

(«)  3  and  now  (£)  4  with  my  vineyard  (n)  why  (8)  it  to  bear  (i)  5  and  now  («)  with  my 
(A)  break  d6wn  is  its  wall  that  d6wn  it  be  trampled !  Oineyard 

(p.)  6  it  shall  not  be  pruned  and      O)  there  shall  shoot  up  thorns  and  briars 
(I )      on  (o)  rain  (*)  7  Sabaoth 

EXPLANATOEY   NOTES. 

(1)  This  is  the  first  line  of  the  song.    Duhm,  Cheyne,  Marti,  follow- 
ing Ewald,  Propheteri2,   1,  306,  consider  the  second   line  to  be  the 
beginning  of  the  poem ;  they  think  that  the  first  line  is  a  special  intro- 
duction, but  this  view  is  erroneous.  t 

(2)  Lit.,  on  a  horn,  the  son  of  fatness,  i.  e.,  the  terraced  slope  of  a 
mountain  exposed  to  the  sun,  with  rich  fertile  soil ;  cf.  the  Swiss  Matter- 
horn,  Schreckhorn,  Faulhom,  &c.,  Lat.  cornu  montis,  Greek  xcpas  TOV 
opovs.    AVM,  the  horn  of  the  son  of  oil ;  but  KVM,  a  horn,  the  son  of 
oil.    Cf.  apertos  Bacchus  amat  colles  (Virgil,  Georg.  2,  113)  quoted  by 
Delitzsch  and  Orelli. 

(3)  Of  stones,  AV:   gathered  out  the  stones  thereof;  solum  elapi- 
davit,  Pliny  17,  30. 

(4)  See  above,  p.  197  (2). 

(5)  Cf.  Mark  12,1 ;  Matt.  21,33:  A  certain  man  planted  a  vineyard, 
and  set  a  hedge  about  it,  and  digged  a  place  for  the  wine-vat,  and  built  a 
tower.     This  is  based  on  the  Septuagintal  rendering  of  our  passage, 

<5V  Ktti  (jipayfjiov  Trepiefli/Ka  KOI  e^apaxwcra,  3  et  sepivit  earn,  et  lapides  elegit 

& 
ex  ilia,  &,  transposing  the  two  terms,  1-^J»  oi^lo  CTM\°IO  he  tilled  it 

and  made  a  fence  around  it.  AV  translates  therefore,  he  fenced  it,  or 
(in  the  margin)  he  made  a  wall  about  it  instead  of  he  hoed  it.  RV,  he 
made  a  trench  about  it  or  (in  the  margin)  he  digged  it.  In  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Jerusalem,  Bethlehem,  Hebron,  &c.,  there  are  in  almost 
all  the  vineyards  small  round  tower-like  houses  of  stone,  in  which 


202  HEBRAICA 

implements  are  stored  and  the  keepers  housed.  The  owners  live  in 
them  during  the  vintage.  Cf.  Dillmann-Kittel6  (1898)  ad  loc. 

(6)  Wine-presses  and  vats,  excavated  in  the  solid  rock,  are  common 
throughout  Palestine ;  see  the  cut  in  the  translation  of  Judges,  in  the 
Polychrome  Bible,  p.  68. 

(7)  Supply,  says  my  friend.     Cf.  2  S  12,5 ;  Matt.  21,40. 

(8)  There  is  nothing  humorous  in  the  second  line  of  v.  4,  as  Duhm 
supposes.    The  prophet's  friend  (i.  e.  JHVH)  says,  I  confidently  expected 
good  grapes,  but  my  vineyard  bore  nothing  but  worthless,  small,  sour 
berries.    I  had  a  right  to  expect  good  grapes  after  all  the  trouble  I  had 
taken. 

(9)  Cf.  Is.  7,23-25. 

(10)  Isaiah  does  not  say,  My  friend  is  JHVH,  and  his  vineyard  is 
Israel ;  he  simply  states,  It  is  the  vineyard  of  JHVH,  i.  e.,  the  Israelitish 
nation. 

(11)  Correctness  of  life  and  conduct,  rectitude,  justice. 

(12)  Corruptness,  especially  of  the  judges  and  other  persons  in  power. 

(13)  Candor  =  fairness,  impartiality,  honesty,  righteousness. 

(14)  Loud  complaint  of  injustice  and  urgent  demand  for  justice ;  cf. 
Exod.  22,22;  Gen.  4,10.    Dr.  Horace  Howard  Furness,  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  some  valuable  suggestions,  proposes  to  render  the  last 

couplet : 

He  looked  for  reason, —      but  behold  !  treason ; 

For  men  loving  duty, —      but  lo !  those  loving  booty ! 

This  last  line  might  be  used  for  the  translation  of  the  last  but  one  line  of 
the  Hebrew  text.  The  last  line  of  the  poem  might  be  rendered : 

He  looked  for  right, —        but  behold  riot ! 

(so  Dr.  Marcus  Jastrow).  We  might  also  use  justice  and  injustice, 
honesty  and  dishonesty;  but  correctness  and  corruptness,  candor  and 
clamor  seem  to  me  preferable. 

(15)  The  Hebrew  text  uses  the  infinitive :  (I  purpose)  to  break  down ; 
so,  too,  in  the  preceding  double-hemistich,  Away  with  its  hedges  =  (I 
purpose)  to  do  away  with  its  hedge. 


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